The invention relates to a center console for a motor vehicle, especially an automobile, said console having a raised area in the shape of a box between the backs of the front seats to accommodate built-in modules associated with the rear seats, with the lateral areas of the seat backs being located only a short distance from the side walls of said modules.
A center console of this type is known from the French Utility Model with Publication Number 25 81 598. In that document, the space between the front seats has been used to provide a sort of built-in cabinet as an extension of the console, in which air nozzles for cooling the passengers seated in the rear, loudspeakers, a radio or telephone, and operating elements for locking the doors for example are incorporated, said devices being operable by the rear-seat passengers since they are located in the rear wall facing the rear seats.
On the other hand, it is known to provide protective measures to protect vehicle occupants in rear-end collisions as well as in the event of lateral impacts, said measures consisting for example in a reinforcement of the doors or also (German Patent Document DE 42 07 253 A1) in the provision of a gas bag inflatable between the occupants upon impact.
An object of the present invention is to improve the safety of the vehicle occupants in the event of a lateral impact without costly additional measures being required.
Taking its departure from the knowledge that center consoles of the species recited at the outset can be used to reinforce the seat back areas of the front seats against lateral compression, the invention recognizes that the side walls of the box-shaped area can be reinforced and connected together by cross braces to create a protective element that effectively supports the seat backs of the front seats in the event of a lateral impact on the vehicle.
In especially preferred embodiments of the invention, provision is made such that the side walls of the box-shaped area are reinforced with lightweight metal shells in the adjusting area of the seat back bracing. These shells in turn can be made slightly convex to protect them against bending and be provided on their inwardly directed surfaces with reinforcing ribs. These lightweight metal shells can be injected into the impact resistant plastic of the console.
In especially preferred embodiments of the invention, the cross braces between the lightweight metal shells that reinforce the side walls are arranged so that they are located in the parting planes of the storage areas located in the center console, in other words, for example, in the separating area between the central storage compartment, like that already known, and between the storage compartments accessible from the rear, into which the modular additional devices mentioned at the outset can be inserted.
In especially preferred embodiments of the invention, the central storage compartment is also designed so that it is surrounded laterally by hollow spaces. If the hollow spaces extend into the box-shaped area between the seat backs, the stability and supporting effect of the center console can be increased as a result. In an improvement on the invention, however, these hollow spaces can also be designed as air ducts to supply a discharge nozzle located in the box-shaped area, said provision being accomplished by simply closing off the hollow spaces, initially open at the bottom, by a foam body inserted from below. In this design it is also possible to shape the inserted foam bodies as deflecting walls for guiding the air so that the air is guided upward in the vicinity of the box-shaped area to the air outlet nozzle that is also located in the upper area.
In especially preferred embodiments of the invention, the walls of the hollow spaces that face the central storage compartment can be provided with a window so that it is also possible to conduct cooled air flowing past, laterally through the air ducts for example, into the storage compartment as well in order to air-condition the latter.
In one especially advantageous improvement according to preferred embodiments of the invention, in a vehicle with a center tunnel, provision is made such that the side walls provided with lightweight metal shells can project downward beyond the box-shaped area of the console and be connected permanently with the side walls of the center tunnel. This measure ensures an especially good supporting effect because the center tunnel is also used to reinforce the support of the seat backs of the front seats against one another.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.